"The Charge of the Light Brigade"

I went with some friends to see “The Blind Side.” It was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. There was a poem that was read in it that I hadn’t heard before. Written by Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Charge of the Light Brigade was a narrative about the battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War in 1854. I wanted to share it here:

Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward,All in the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.‘Forward, the Light Brigade!Charge for the guns’ he said:Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’Was there a man dismay’d?Not tho’ the soldiers knew Some one had blunder’d:Theirs not to make reply,Theirs not to reason why,Theirs but to do and die:Into the valley of Death Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,Cannon to left of them,Cannon in front of them Volley’d and thunder’d;Storm’d at with shot and shell,Boldly they rode and well,Into the jaws of Death,Into the mouth of Hell Rode the six hundred.

Flash’d all their sabres bare,Flash’d as they turned in airSabring the gunners there,Charging an army while All the world wonder’d:Plunged in the battery-smokeRight thro’ the line they broke;Cossack and RussianReel’d from the sabre-strokeShatter’d and sunder’d.Then they rode back, but notNot the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,Cannon to left of them,Cannon behind them Volley’d and thunder’d;Storm’d at with shot and shell,While horse and hero fell,They that had fought so wellCame thro’ the jaws of Death,Back from the mouth of Hell,All that was left of them, Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?O the wild charge they made! All the world wonder’d.Honour the charge they made!Honour the Light Brigade, Noble six hundred!